Braveheart heading off - June 23Overnight, Lily was in Aster’s territory, which is just east of her own. Just before dawn, Lily began a 3.2-mile trek away from there to the western part of her territory. Is Aster that much of a pest? Would Lily rather contend with her 9-year-old aunt Ursula who is likely also pregnant and holds the territory to her west? To the north, she would likely face 15-year-old RC, and to the south it’s 3-year-old Faith.
2015 should be a big year for cubs with Shadow (28), Braveheart (13), Ursula (10), Shannon (10), Bow (9), Lily (8), Star (6), Aster (4), and Faith (4) likely having cubs in Shadow’s clan. Other possibilities for cubs in the clan are females turning 3 in 2015, including Fern, RC’s daughters Nita and Shauney, Dot’s daughter Vanna, Bow’s daughter Daisy, and Samantha’s daughter Cora.
Braveheart and treed yearling - June 23For this summer (2014), we’re still waiting to see if daughters that turned 3 over winter will show up with cubs. These include Braveheart’s 3-year-old daughters Jani and Oliana, Donna’s daughters Willow and Wendy, Juliet’s daughters Sybil and Sophie, and Shannon’s daughter Buffy. With many Black Bear Field Course participants watching late into the night as many of them do, we may be able to put some pieces together.
Seeing how Shadow’s clan has spread during this study brings back many memories from the 19 years we’ve followed it. Some of the bears established territories where we only hear of them when they visit feeding sites in those areas. Others we lost track of because we never knew them well enough to radio-collar or because DNR restrictions forced us to remove radio-collars from bears we had tracked as long as 10 years. Many of those we see occasionally at one feeding site or another.
Trumpeter Swan familyBut some of the bears became precious with the knowledge they shared about their lives. They will never be forgotten. The loss of research partners June (12) and Dot (13) this past year broke our hearts. We had walked with June for 10 summers. We remember so much about her and Dot. We look forward to preserving their legacies in books and scientific publications in addition to the better understanding they have already given to us, Lily Fans, Bear Center visitors, and those who have watched their documentaries.
Hare eating peavineAt noon yesterday, Lynn drove by the lake where the Trumpeter Swans nest. White dots near the far shore, 0.36 mile away, turned out to be the family—still 5 cygnets—as seen through his 400mm lens. When one of the adults rose up to shake after preening, it gave an idea of the wings that make their nearly 10-foot wingspan.
At the Bear Center, a snowshoe hare nibbled a peavine plant in Donna Rogers’ bear food and native plant garden in front of the building. Donna said it needed trimming anyway.
Thank you so much for what so many of you do.
—Lynn Rogers and Sue Mansfield, Biologists, Wildlife Research Institute and North American Bear Center
All photos taken today unless otherwise noted.